that, “They [the Muslims] should avoid actions such as these [referencing cow slaughter] if they want to live in peace and harmony.”130 Online, many commentators take such sentiments much further. One popular Facebook post from late September 2015 gleefully referenced the stampede in Mecca that killed over 1,000 pilgrims, and stated that it was likely karma for Muslims’ slaughter of cows.131 Cow Slaughter In the wake of the ratification of the Race and Religion Laws, the issue of cow slaughter has become one of the most prominent strands of the Ma Ba Tha’s messaging. The issue refers specifically to the Muslim practice of sacrificing livestock during religious events, such as Eid al-Adha. The issue has become a key means for the Ma Ba Tha to easily juxtapose an apparently innate Muslim tendency towards ‘violence’ against Buddhist values of pacifism and non-violence, where cows are revered and the sanctity of animal life respected. Central Committee member Kyaw Sein Win, a layman ‘spokesman’ for the Ma Ba Tha, directly alludes to this when he noted that, “saving lives was central to Buddhist philosophy” in contrast to Muslims who “would kill animals as they believe this is how they gain merit.”132 Online, with graphic imagery of dead animals, this issue is well suited to crudely tarnish Muslims and is easily juxtaposed as seen in the two examples below. The Facebook post on the left was shared by a selfprofessed 969 disseminator and contains a popular photo of a cow bowing to a monk out of reverence. On the other hand, the Facebook post on the right was shared by a possible hate speech account and shows graphic images of cows being slaughtered by Muslims, along with a Ma Ba Tha statement from September 2015 urging an end to the practice. 133 The latter post had over 10,000 likes and shares by mid-October 2015, and was re-posted by several organizations, including the Arakan Youth Organization, a Rakhine ultra-nationalist political party.134 135 Image 18: Social media account for the “969 Myanmar Defense League” shows cows bowing to a monk out of reverence 136 Image 19: Social media post showing cows being slaughtered by Muslims alongside a Ma Ba Tha petition against cow slaughter Beyond simply highlighting clashing values, the Ma Ba Tha’s choice to target the issue of cow slaughter touches at much deeper socio-economic structures in Myanmar. Burmese Muslims, especially those in the delta region of Myanmar, are heavily represented in the slaughterhouse and meat trades137, and the Ma Ba Tha’s bid to disenfranchise a seeming ‘religious freedom’ actually has major impacts on a key ‘Muslim sector’ of the economy. 21